Oscillating toaster



May 26, 1936. c. c. HARPSTER OSGILLATING TOASTER Filed July 10, 1934 I I'NVENTOR CZyde GH /"p5 fer.

ATTbRNEY Patented May 26, 1936 PATENT OFFICE f 2,042,226 OSCILLATING TOASTER Clyde 0. Harpster, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation Pennsylvania Application July 10, 1934, Serial No. 734,488 7 Claims. (01. :24)

My invention relates to electric cooking devices and particularly to electric toasters.

The main object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple construction for an electric 5 toaster in whichthe bread slice support oscillates relatively to the heatingelem'ent.

Other'objects of my invention will either be apparent from the following description of one form of device embodying" my invention or will be specifically pointed out hereinafter.

In practicing my invention, I provide a casing having a heating element and a pivotally mounted bread slice support therein, with power means of any desired kind to oscillate the bread slice support. I provide a yielding'connection between the power means and the bread slice support to permit of moving the bread slicesupport partially out of the casing. I provide further a door for the opening in the casing resiliently urged to closed position and, in addition, provision for holding or locking the door in closed position and for permitting opening the door simultaneously with outward movement of the bread slice support, the door and the bread slice support being mounted on a common pivotal support.

In the. accompanying single sheet of drawing,

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section through. a toaster embodying my invention and taken on the line II of Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is afront elevational view of a toaster embodying my invention,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the door locking and actuating means, and Fig.4 is a fragmentary view showing a re-. 3 silient connection between the power means and the bread slice support.

A vertical toaster ll comprises a hollow base l3 of the usual kind in that it includes an upper substantially fiat surface l5 and side flanges ll, 40 and I prefer to make the base high enough to be able to .locate therein a power or motor means shown generally only and indicated by the numeral l9. This motor means may be either an electric motor one. clock mechanism, for example, 45 and is effective to operate a small crank arm 2| rotating the same continuously at a relatively slow speed.

On tliebase I3 I locate a casing comprising a plurality of vertically extending walls 23, prefer-- 50 ably made of sheet metal, and a cover 25. The side walls and the cover are made of thin sheet metal and may be of any shape and dimensions effective for the .desired purpose. Any desired method of securing the casing walls 23 to the 55 base top I5 may be employed and any desired means of securing the cover to the side walls may be utilized.

I provide a plurality of extended heating units 2'! within the casing and, as shown particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawing, I may provide three 5 such units,- which are spaced apart suitable distances from each other to permit of locating therebetween, in a manner to be hereinafter set forth, a smaller number of slices of bread to be toasted. It is obvious that when three spaced 10 extended heating units are provided, they will be properly operative to toast simultaneously two slices of bread. I have shown the heating element 2'! as including a sheet 29 of electric insulatingmaterial such as mica on which is wound a 15 wire or strip 3| of a suitable resistor material, the ends of which are connected to a pair of contact terminals 33 insulatedly mounted on one wall of the casing in a manner well known in the art. Only one such terminal pin 33 is, of course, 20

visible in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The sheet 29 may be supported as by legs from the top of the base 13, although I do not desire to be limited to the particular details of construction shown in the drawing. 2 I provide a plurality of bread slice supports, here shown as two in number and designated by numeral 31, which may comprise a flat sheet metal strip 39 to constitute the base thereof and wire and frames 4| extending at substantially 30 right angles above the base 39 and bent to such skeleton shape as to provide supports not only for the ends of a slice of bread 43 to be supported thereby but also for the sides thereof. Each bread slice support 31 has a pivot arm 45 de- 35 pending from the base plate or strip 39, which pivot arm is pivotally supported on a pin 4'! supported by a plurality of bearing brackets 49 which are secured against the upper face of top l5 of the base.

The crank arm 2| of the motor means l9 has connected therewith a link 5! which engages a pivotally mounted arm 53 which, as shown particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawing, may be pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a shaft 55 supported in brackets 51, which are mounted on the top l5; At its upper end the arm 53 is provided with a link 59 pivotally connected therewith, upwardly extending thin arms 6| disposed near the upper end of arm 53 being provided to maintain the arm 59 in a substantially horizontal position while permitting oscillating movement of the arm 53 as well as of arm 59. At its forward end, arm '59 is provided with two spring members 63 which are of such shape that the stem 45 of. 5.5V

the bread slice support will be received therebetween and normally held against the end of arm 59 so that, upon oscillation of arms 53 and 59 by the motor means, the bread slice support will also be oscillated on the pivot shaft 41.

One wall of the casing is provided with a plurality of openings 65 therein corresponding in number to the number of bread slice supports, and a single pivotally mounted door 61 is provided to normally close said openings. The door 61 comprises a substantially vertically extending metal strip of such dimensions 'as' to close the opening or openings in one of the walls 23 and may be provided with aplurality of downwardly and inwardly extending pivot'arms 69 which are also supported by pivot shaft 41. A spring-|l, here shown as of generally leaf shape, may have one end secured to the top l5 and have its other end normally engaging an arm 69 to yieldingly hold or tend to urge the door against the casing.

A knob 13 is mounted on the metal plate 61 of the door and may have turning movement rela-' tively thereto. A locking bar 1! extends substantially vertically within the door 61 and may 'be moved vertically upwardly or downwardly in a guide bracket IT by a short arm 19 secured to the inner part of knob 13. The knob 13 may be turned in one direction to cause the latching or locking bar 15 to move upwardly and inside of the front wall 23 just above the opening 65, as.

' is shown more'particularlyin Fig. 1 oi the drawmg in order to lock the doorin closed position.

Asecondarmii isalsosecuredto theknob II on the inside of door I and is adaptedto interlit with a wire '3 having one end thereof secured to one of the bread'slice supports- The arm l isadapted tofltinbackotthewire ll anditwill be noticed that when locking bar I5 and particularly the upper end thereoi'is in engagement with the inside face of the froht wall of the casing,

arm it is out of engagement with member-O3. II the knob 13 is turned in such direction that-locking bar 15 is moved downwardly, arm l -l will move inbackofwiremember fltoengage the sameand to thereby permit of simultaneous turning movement of the door and of the bread slice support with a slice of bread therein to the position shown in the broken lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

, Such operation of the door and of the bread slice supports is permitted by reason of the common pivotal mounting of the door and of the bread slice supports. It is further obvious that the resilient connection between the link 59 and the pivotarm 45 permits or disengaging the breadslice supports from the oscillating mechanism to permit of such movement away from the casing and also to permit 01! easy and quick reengagement oi the oscillating mechanism and the bread slice supports. Any desired means for locking togethervthe plurality 0! bread slice supports may be utilized, and I have indicated a cross bar secured to the plurality of aligned pivot arms 45. although any other means effective for the same purpose may be utilized. Y

The amount of relative oscillatory movement between the heating element and the bread slice support need not-be very large as I have found that even a small angular oscillating movement is suflicient to compensate for any inequalities in the mounting of the'heating element relatively to the bread slice support or any inequalities in the distance between a heating element and a slice of bread, such as may be caused by a slice of mounted for oscillating movement relativelyqto.

'doorhavin'gaportion -1 tory movement results, as is shown by tests, in a more even toasting or a' slice 0! bread irrespective of slight variations in the distance between a heating element and the surface of the slice of bread. 5

The device embodying my invention thus provides a relatively simple and effective means for oscillating a slice of bread or a plurality ,of such slices relatively to a heating element or heating elements while, at the same time, permitting oi readily removing a toasted slice oi bread from its support and locating a fresh slice oi bread in the support. V

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are impose by the prior artor are set forth in the appende claims.

I as myinvention:

1. In an electric toaster, in combination with a heating element and a bread slice support in heat-receiving relation to the heating element, a pivotal support for the bread slice support, a power-driven oscillatable element and a yielding connection between the oscillatable element and. the bread slice support.

2. In an electric toaster, in combination with a casing having an therein, a. heating element in the casing, a pivotally mounted bread slice support in heat-receiving relation to the heating element, a pivotally supported door tor theopeninginthecasing, andacommonpivotal supporting meansforthebreadslioe supportand the door to permit simultaneous t o! the door and bread slice support away from the eas- 3. In an-electrie toaster, in combination with acasinghavinganopeningthereima'heating. element in the casing, a bread the heating element, a for the opening in the casing, v

. 'withthe bread. slice support to news an-accuser??- the door and the breadslice'support away'iro'm; the casing. j 11f 4. In an electric toaster,-'in combination-with a casing having an opening a heating, element in the casing. *a-f breadslice support mounted for oscillating movement relatively to the heating element, a pivotally-mounted door normally closing the opening in the casing, resilient means operatively n aging the door to urgeit to closed position, and means on the door having a portion adapted to engage with the bread slice support to eifect simultaneous movement of the door and the bread slice support away from the casing. 4

5. In an electrictoaster, in combination with a'casinghaving an opening therein, a heating element in the-casing. a bread slice support mounted for oscillating movement relatively to the heating element, a pivotally-mounted door:6 normally closing the openingin the casing, resillent means operatively the door to urge I it to closed position, and means on the door having a turning movement relatively thereto and adapted in one position to lock the door against 70 the casing and in another position to engage with the bread slice support to cause simultaneous turning movement of the door and the brea slice support away from the casing. 1

a casin: having an opening therein, a heating element in the casing, a pivotally-mounted bread slice support in the casing. power means for oscillating the bread slice support, a yleldingvconnection between the power means and the bread slice support. a pivotally mounted'door for the opening, and means on the door having two diti'erent operative positions and adapted in one acasinzhavinsanopeninsthereimaheating element in the mm, a pivotally-mountedbread slice support in the casing, power means torloscillating the bread slice support, a connection between the power =bread slice support, a pivotally mounted door .for the opening, a knob on the door movement relatively tothe door, a ilockingvbar associated with the knob to ensagethe' 'c'asing to hold the door in closed positiomgand a catch associated withthe knob adapted to engage the bread slice support to'eflect simultaneous outward movement of the door-andthe bread slice support away from the cLizpE c 

